VVIP security tightened

In the face of the rising wave of crime and violence in the Colombo city and ‘other’ security reasons traced by intelligence authorities, defence circles last week urged the VVIPs to strengthen their security contingents, highly placed police sources disclosed to Nation.
They said it was reported that a large number of illegal weapons were floating in the hands of the underworld criminals who appear to have raised their heads again with at least seven politically motivated murders taking place in the city suburbs during the past fortnight.

Police sources said that a large number of firearms have gone into the hands of political supporters over the past decade.’ Politicians had employed security forces deserters who were trained to shoot as their private security guards and many of them had disappeared with those arms after the fall of the previous government’, sources explained.

VVIPs have been advised by intelligence authorities to follow instructions given by them before stepping into the public to attend state events and functions.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police N.K. Illangakoon who met his Senior Deputy Inspectors General of Police last week had discussed at length the issue of rising crime and the rampant murders caused by shooting over the past two weeks.The Colombo Crimes Division of the police had been directed to increase mobile patrols at night and to crackdown on the rising crime in the city of Colombo.